Last year as Apple and Samsung battled in courtrooms around the world, Apple won some and lost some.

The oddest loss happened in the U.K. when judges in the case required Apple to apologize publicly to Samsung on the Apple website. The FOSS Patents blog discovered the judge who gave the first opinion for the court of appeal, The Rt. Hon. Professor Sir Robin Jacob, now works for Samsung Electronics.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is investigating a complaint by Ericsson against Samsung. According to FOSS, Erickson wants a U.S. import ban on several Samsung products Erickson believes violate several of its patents.

In a letter submitted to the ITC by Samsung, Sir Robert Jacob is listed as an expert “working on behalf of Respondents Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Samsung Electronics America, Inc., and Samsung Telecommunications America LLC in the above-referenced investigation.”

Sir Robin Jacob was not the judge who famously said Samsung’s products “are not as cool” as Apple’s. That was Judge Colin Birss. Sir Robin Jacob over saw the case and argued it was the “massive publicity” of Judge Birss’s “not as cool” judgment that made it necessary to require Apple to publish the apology.

In his opinion Sir Jacob wrote, “Following Judge Birss’s ‘not as cool’ judgment, which did receive massive publicity, Apple obtained the Oberlandesgericht order banning SEC from selling the [Samsung] 7.7 throughout Europe. That order received massive publicity in the press too.”

When Apple first published a version of the apology required by the U.K. court, the notices included Judge Birss’s “not as cool” assessment of Apple’s iPad. Sir Jacob accused Apple of having a “lack of integrity” and required them to republish the following notice without the snark:

“On 9 July 2012 the High Court of Justice of England and Wales ruled that Samsung Electronic (UK) Limited’s Galaxy Tablet Computers, namely the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Tab 8.9 and Tab 7.7 do not infringe Apple’s Community registered design No. 0000181607-0001. A copy of the full judgment of the High Court is available from www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Patents/2012/1882.html.”

“That Judgment has effect throughout the European Union and was upheld by the Court of Appeal of England and Wales on 18 October 2012. A copy of the Court of Appeal’s judgment is available from www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2012/1339.html. There is no injunction in respect of the Community registered design in force anywhere in Europe.”

Having so recently ruled in a case that benefitted Samsung, perhaps a judge concerned so much about the integrity of Apple should decline an offer to work for Samsung.

What do you think of Sir Jacob’s decision to work for Samsung so soon after Samung’s case against Apple?

UK Judge Who Made Apple Apologize To Samsung Now Works For Samsung is a post from: The Inquisitr

Corpus Christi, TX - A teenager is suing her parents, saying they are forcing her to get an abortion.

The 14-year-old girl’s attorney says she is two and a half months pregnant and wants to carry her child to term.

One of her cousins has also reportedly gotten violent over the argument. According to CNN, Stephen Casey, the teen’s attorney, refused to give the girl’s name:

“The girl was grabbed by the neck, hit across the face, and thrown into a car in addition to the verbal abuse.”

Stephen Casey is an attorney with the Texas Center for Defense of Life, a nonprofit organization that specializes in right-to-life cases such as this one. Stephen Casey adds:

“This is a highly under-reported situation. If a woman has a constitutional right to an abortion under Roe [vs] Wade, then she has a constitutional right to keep her child.”

The organization has filed a lawsuit on the teen’s behalf saying her parents:

“are violating her federal constitutional rights to carry her child to term by coercing her to have an abortion with both verbal and physical threats and harassment.”

According to ABC News, Casey said:

“These girls are in a bind, particularly in a situation where their parents are forcing them to do something they don’t want to do. Regardless of the [situation], that’s her parents and she should expect support from them in this situation, not resentment and anger.”

The lawsuit is requesting that the court make it clear that the teen has a legal right to make her own decisions concerning the baby. The lawsuit also asks for a restraining order from the teen’s parents.

Do you think the teen is right in suing her parents over her pregnancy?

something in the phrasing just doesn’t feel right. abcnews.go.com/blogs/headline…

— robinmarty (@robinmarty) February 12, 2013

Texas Teen Sues Parents is a post from: The Inquisitr

Lawyers are saying that checking work-related emails outside work should be considered overtime and paid as such.

With the growing use of smartphones and tablets that allow users to check e-mail and respond to texts, the number of people performing their duties while out of the office is growing. Studies have shown that half of those people who use email at work also do so at home, slightly less on sick days, and about a third on vacation.

According to usovertimelawyers.com, though many employees regularly do work online outside of normal working hours, few are actually paid overtime for the time spent. While it’s hard to avoid working off the clock due to technological advancements, employees may at least be entitled to overtime pay for work-related phone usage.

Chicago police Sergeant Jeffrey Allen claims in a lawsuit that the city owes him and fellow officers overtime pay for the use of department-requisitioned BlackBerry phones off the clock. If the lawsuit prevails, it could mean millions of dollars in back pay.

According to the Huffington Post, workers everywhere are effected, Allen’s lawyer Paul Geiger said Wednesday:

“Everybody can relate to this because people are being asked all the time these days to work for free and they are being told to work for free using their phones.”

Police brass pressured subordinates in the organized crime bureau to answer work-related calls and emails on their BlackBerrys and then also told them not to bother asking for overtime. One plaintiff filing states:

“A culture has developed where police officers feel compelled to work for free in order to possibly gain a promotion and/or maintain their coveted assignment.”

The question remains how such overtime is recorded, as it can be easy for some to abuse the system for extra pay.

What do you think? Should work-related emails, texts, and phone calls off the clock be considered overtime, as lawyers suggest?

I would be so rich. RT @huffpostbiz: Workers should get overtime for checking email, lawsuit claims huff.to/12vURCt

— The Kitchenista (@MissAngelaDavis) February 7, 2013

Overtime Should Be Paid For Checking Work-Related Emails Outside Workplace, Lawyers Say is a post from: The Inquisitr

Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong didn’t even need to dope, according to the athlete’s also-disgraced former doctor Michele Ferrari.

Armstrong said during last week’s interview with Oprah Winfrey that winning seven Tour de France titles would have been impossible without doping, but the athlete’s former doctor disagrees, reports Fox Sports. The Italian doctor countered this assumption on his website Thursday, writing, ”I think Lance is wrong,” and arguing that Armstrong was talented enough to succeed without illegal performance enhancing drugs.

Describing the effects of testosterone, EPO and blood transfusions, Ferrari says that Armstrong would have only had a “placebo effect” if he had taken the amounts described by his former teammates. He adds ”Armstrong would have achieved the same level of performance without resorting to doping, also thanks to his talent which was far superior to the rivals of his era.”

Ferrari has also been banned for life from the sport.

If you thought losing his titles amounted to rock bottom for Lance Armstrong, you’d be wrong. The LA Times reports that Armstrong is still experiencing some of the worst fallout from the doping scandal following his interview with Oprah Winfrey last week.

Currently, Armstrong’s memoir, It’s Not About The Bike, is the subject of a class-action lawsuit filed in California on behalf of unhappy readers. The tome, published in 2000, is accused of “fraud and false advertising.” The suit says: “‘Throughout the book, Defendant Armstrong repeatedly denies that he ever used banned substances before or during his professional cycling career.”

What do you think? Could Lance Armstrong still have won his seven Tour titles without resorting to dope?

Lance Armstrong Didn’t Need The Dope, Says Doctor is a post from: The Inquisitr

As proof that the law is taking illegal file-sharing very seriously, Jeramiah Perkins was handed the longest prison sentence ever given in a United States file-sharing case … five years.

According to CNET, Perkins, a 40-year-old man from Portsmouth, Virginia, is said to have been the head of a group that went to theaters, camcorded the movies, recorded the audio, synched the files, and then distributed the product on the Internet. The group, known as IMAGiNE, became one of the most prolific piracy release groups in the world between 2009 and 2011.

IMAGiNE’s indictment read:

“The conspirators informally identified themselves as the IMAGiNE Group and sought, among other things, to be the premier group to first release to the Internet copies of new motion pictures only showing in movie theaters. It was further a part of the conspiracy to use computer software to digitally refine and to edit the video and audio portions of a motion picture and to combine or synchronize the two components into audiovisual movie files.”

One of IMAGiNE’s goals was to make movies available before the public release of the DVDs.

IMAGiNE rented servers in France, Canada, and the U.S. and hosted several Web sites, such as “unleashthe.net.” The Web sites included member profiles, a torrent tracker, discussion forums, a message board, news, and rules.

The group received money through donations and payments from the people downloading the copyrighted works.

U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen passed the five-year sentence onto Perkins on January 3.

According to Tom’s Guide, five other members of Perkins’ group were also found guilty and have consequently been handed prison sentences for being involved in IMAGiNE.

Co-defendant Gregory Cherwonik received 40 months in prison and Sean Lovelady was given 23 months. Willie Lambert is another member of the group that received a 30-month sentence.

The fifth defendant is set to be sentenced in March.

Leader Of IMAGiNE Sentenced To Five Years In Prison is a post from: The Inquisitr

An Orthodox Jew and convicted murderer serving a 75-year sentence in Beaumont, Texas has convinced the federal appeals court to allow him free kosher meals.

In 2005, Max Moussazadeh filed a lawsuit stating that, by not being allowed to eat kosher foods, the prison was denying him his religious rights. He was one of 29 Orthodox Jews in the Texas prison system, says Daily Mail.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice transferred him to the Stringfellow Unit in Rosharon where they had set up a kosher kitchen and a rabbi was made available.

Moussazedeh was then sent to the higher security Stiles Unit after being found in possession of mysterious substances on three occasions. He was no longer given kosher meals for free, but he was allowed to purchase them.

Moussazedeh re-filed a lawsuit in conjunction with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty over his new imprisonment conditions. He and his lawyers argued that the TDCJ was in violation of the Religious Land Use and the Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000, prohibiting a local government from imposing an undue burden on religious practice.

A lower court decided that Moussazedeh was “insincere” in that he occasionally make his way to the regular food line at the prison cafeteria. The American Jewish Committee then pointed out that even the most religious people will “backslide,” as is human nature, and does not prove insincerity.

The Beckett Fund points out that prior to the Moussazadeh lawsuit, Texas was one of the only state prison systems not providing Jewish prisoners free kosher food.

Do you think he deserves his full religious privileges, or is a 75-year sentence for murder enough to strip him of all but basic human rights?

Convicted Murderer In Texas Wins Right To Eat Kosher is a post from: The Inquisitr

Apple seems to be suing everybody these days. Are they really needing the money that badly? Well get ready, Apple; China is suing you again.

A Chinese court is fining Apple 1 million yuan (nearly $200,000) for hosting third-party applications on its App Store that were selling pirated electronic books, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Apple is to pay compensation to two companies and eight Chinese writers for copyright violation, the Beijing Number Two Intermediate People’s Court ruled on Thursday.

A group of Chinese authors filed the suit against Apple earlier this year, saying an unidentified number of apps on its App Store sold unlicensed copies of their books.

Bei Zhicheng, a group spokesman, said:

“We are disappointed at the judgment. Some of our best-selling authors only got 7,000 yuan. The judgment is a signal of encouraging piracy.”

Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu said:

“We’re always updating our service to better assist content owners in protecting their rights.”

Due to population alone, China has the largest market for online copies of e-books, meaning that if bestselling authors are having their work pirated, the nation is losing a pretty massive chunk of change on the deal.

This isn’t the first of the headaches Apple has suffered on account of China, though. In July, Apple gave 60 million yuan to Proview Technology to settle a long-running lawsuit over the iPad trademark in China, says Yahoo News. While we were joking around about the concept and eventually warming up to it, the Chinese were taking it extremely seriously.

Copyright infringement is no joke, especially in China, and Apple is paying the price.

Apple Loses Another Lawsuit To China is a post from: The Inquisitr

New York City, NY – You know how you can now be fired for being an attractive woman that your boss wants to sleep with all the time? Apparently, you can also be fired for cutting off a Fifty Shades of Grey-style affair with said boss as well.

The owner of Fantastic Kids Toys in the upper East Side was slapped with a lawsuit by a former employee over the end of their affair. CNews reports that 26-year-old Amanda Reyes is suing her former employer, Steven Reis, after being fired for attempting to end their Fifty Shades of Grey-esque relationship.

According to the lawsuit, Reyes “forced” to engage in “increasing acts of ‘rough’ sexual activities, including hitting, slapping and biting.” She reportedly received continued employment and assistance with her rent, reports NY Daily.

Reyes tried to break off the relationship in June when she started dating someone, but alleges that Reis demanded they “meet twice a week for those sexual encounters,” and that he refused to take “no” for an answer.

The comparison to Fifty Shades of Grey comes from Reyes’ explanation of the affair as a “a manipulative master-servant type of relationship.”

“She was a single mother, trying to take care of a young child and she felt totally and completely manipulated and taken advantage of,” added her attorney, Walker Harman, who said that the sex games involved “role-playing and simulations of sorts.”

Reis also apparently promoted Reyes from run-of-the-mill $10-per-hour worker to store manager and sex slave, at a salary of $60,000.

Though Reis, who is married, declined to comment on the matter, the joke is on him in more ways than one. Not only is he being sued, Reyes’ new boyfriend is reportedly a cop.

Toy Store Employee Fired For Ending ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ Type Affair With Boss is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tom Cruise’s lawsuit against the publisher of the magazines Life & Style and In Touch Weekly met with a defiant response on Tuesday.

E! News obtained Bauer Publishing Co.’s response to the Tom Cruise lawsuit, which the Top Gun and Mission: Impossible star launched in October.

Defending itself against the charge of defamation, Bauer’s response argued that the stories in the magazines, which claimed Cruise had “abandoned” six-year-old daughter Suri, contained reporting that was “substantially true” and added that the magazines “do not assert verifiably false facts, and/or constitute rhetorical hyperbole or subjective statements of opinion.”

The publishing giant argued that it was not liable for damages because “some or all of the allegedly defamatory statements complained of by plaintiff are true or substantially true.” Bauer’s statement adds that Cruise “cannot prove that he has suffered any compensable damage as a result of any actionable statement published by the Bauer Defendants.”

Responding to Bauer’s statement, Cruise’s lawyer Bert Fields told E!:

“The Bauer magazines said that Tom ‘abandoned’ his child. That is unequivocally false, malicious and libelous.”

Since his extremely public split from Katie Holmes, the 50-year-old actor has had little chance to spend time with Suri. Indeed, father and daughter were apart for three whole months before Cruise got to see his daughter for a Thanksgiving meal in late-November.

Holmes has been granted custody of the couple’s only child after their quick divorce in August, but Cruise has been in regular contact with Suri since then, according to Fields.

The Hollywood actor will have custody of Suri for Christmas, and fresh rumors suggest he’s planning to spoil his daughter rotten with a $US13.5 million house of her own.

What do you make of the Tom Cruise lawsuit? In your view, did the magazines take things too far in their accusations against Cruise?

Tom Cruise Lawsuit: Magazine Publisher Denies Defamation Over Suri ‘Abandonment’ Claims is a post from: The Inquisitr

Former Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin has been ordered to pay Donald Trump a substantial amount of money for the defamatory remarks she made against the Miss USA pageant, Cinema Blend reports.

Since she essentially had nothing to back up her accusations that the pageant was rigged, the beauty queen will have to cough up around $5 million dollars to one of the world’s wealthiest individuals.

The New York Post reports Monnin was given an opportunity to rescind her comments last summer. When she refused his offer, Donald Trump decided to move forward with his defamation lawsuit. The former Miss Pennsylvania, who once referred to the pageant as “trashy,” is surely regretting her decision right about now.

Trump had this to say about winning the lawsuit:

“We cannot allow a disgruntled contestant to make false and reckless statements which are damaging to the many people who have devoted their hearts and souls to the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageant systems.

“While I feel very badly for Sheena, she did the wrong thing. She was really nasty, and we had no choice. It is an expensive lesson for her.”

AceShowbiz explains that Monnin believed the Miss USA pageant was fixed from the very beginning. She alleged another contestant had come across an envelope which contained the winner’s name. Since Monnin was unable to provide evidence to back up her claims, a judge determined she had essentially defamed the beauty contest.

“Going to arbitration was the appropriate action to take under the circumstances, and while I feel very badly for Sheena, she did the wrong thing,” Donald Trump said. “She was really nasty, and we had no choice. It is an expensive lesson for her.”

Do you think former Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin should pay Donald Trump $5 million for her remarks about the Miss USA pageant?

Sheena Monnin Must Pay Donald Trump $5 Million Over Miss USA Allegations is a post from: The Inquisitr

Berlin, Germany – A gummy bear manufacturer has won a legal battle over what it felt was a trademark violation by a Swiss candy company, according to The Associated Press.

Haribo GmbH previously claimed that Lindt’s gold foil-wrapped chocolate teddy bear was a violation of its “Gold Bear” gummy bear. Although the offending product was referred to as the “Lindt Teddy,” Haribo said people would see the packaging and immediately think of it as “Gold Bear.”

Although Lindt said it wasn’t attempting to infringe on its competitor’s trademark with the product, judges ruled the chocolate bear’s packaging was essentially a “visual presentation” of Hairbo’s golden gummy bear.

According to Expatica, the Swiss company explained to the courts that the products were not similar in any way, shape, or form. In fact, Lindt said it went out of its way to avoid trampling into gold gummy bear territory. The company stated there was no way consumers would confuse the products when sitting side by side on retail shelves.

However, judges weren’t convinced this was the case.

“Most consumers would not use descriptions such as ‘golden bear figure’, ‘gold foil-wrapped bear’ or ‘gold-coloured chocolate teddy bear’ … but rather the closest description, particularly considering how well-known the other brand is: Gold Bear,” the court said in a statement.

It added, “What is special about the case is that there has been no high court ruling on the issue of a collision between a brand name and a three-dimensional product design.”

Investor Place explains that Lindt has been banned from selling its chocolate teddy bears to the masses. Not surprisingly, the company said it intends to appeal the court’s ruling on the matter.

What do you think about this gummy bear battle? Do you think Lindt’s gold foil-wrapped chocolate teddy bears are too similar to Hairbo’s iconic product?

Gummy Bear Battle: German Company Wins Trademark Violation Lawsuit is a post from: The Inquisitr

At least two Storage Wars cast members urged producer’s to keep “faking” the finds in the lockers, if a Radar Online source claims are accurate. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Dave Hester filed a lawsuit against the show’s production company and A&E for allegedly rigging the finds inside the lockers featured in the hit reality show.

Hester’s multi-million dollar lawsuit claims that show staffer planted items for the reality show cast members to find insider the lockers. The A&E star maintains he was fired after he confronted Storage Wars executives for allegedly faking the finds and demanded to be indemnified against any claims which could come as a result of the supposed dishonest practice, ABC News notes.

The source had this to say about some cast members alleged desire to keep stacking the lockers on Storage Wars with outside goods:

“In one meeting with executives Brandi [Passante] and Jarrod [Schulz] stood up and said they wanted the show to keep salting their lockers. But Brandi and Jarrod were all for it. They said they were even in favor of more salting.”

Another source claiming to be close to the show alleges the emails and receipts exist to prove that cast members were instructed to bring their most intriguing items to put inside the lockers to “find” on-camera. The source also maintains that the receipts were reimbursements for items some of the reality show cast member’s already owned or purchased to place inside the storage lockers.

A&E is not commenting about Dave Hester’s lawsuit but has so far not wavered from an earlier statement that Storage Wars is not rigged.

Storage Wars: Some Cast Members Allegedly Wanted Producers To Keep ‘Faking’ The Show is a post from: The Inquisitr

A secret Fedex email has been uncovered proving that the package-delivery company has been screwing us for years. They have been systematically robbing us for nearly a decade, according to Inside Counsel and Yahoo.

The email from Fedex executive Alan Elam was revealed in court this week as part of a lawsuit claiming millions of packages were overcharged and nothing was being done about it.

Alan Elam wrote in an e-mail on Aug. 2, 2011:

“I have brought this to attention of many people over the past five or six years, including more than one managing director, and no action has been taken to address it.”

A separate email from Elam the same day said:

“My belief is that we are choosing not to fix this issue because it is worth so much money to FedEx.”

So he knew about it all this time and he did nothing because of the money Fedex was making from it?

The lawsuit states that business and government customers have been charged higher residential delivery rates, even when the delivery addresses were obviously not private homes.

Even deliveries to their own corporate headquarters were charged residential rates.

The average overcharge amounted to over $3.00 per package. This adds up fast with the hundreds of millions of packages delivered each year.

And you thought politicians brought in a lot of money under the table. Perhaps Fedex could help us out with the national debt?

So basically, the problem has persisted over the span of almost ten years, and though they knew about it, hence the email, Fedex has simply sat on the problem and milked it for all they could.

Do you agree with the idea that the plaintiffs should be paid back triple the overcharge amount for damages?

Fedex Email Proposes They Have Been Screwing Clients For Years is a post from: The Inquisitr

The mother of a 16-year-old boy with special needs who died after being physically and forcibly restrained by school staff has filed a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against the school.

ABC News reports that Sheila Foster, the mother of the young boy, said:

“Losing Corey has been a painful and tragic occurrence. It’s emotionally stressful. I took this course of action to hold Leake & Watts school accountable and to help change laws on restraint and seclusion in schools.”

“I just don’t want this to happen to another child,” Foster continued.

The lawsuit was filed in New York City. The lawsuit states that Leake & Watts School in Yonkers, New York and four specific staff members used “physical force” on Corey Foster, “which resulted in pain, suffering, choking, pre-death terror, and ultimately the death” of the Corey.

Last month, ABC News publicly aired surveillance footage that showed Corey playing basketball in the school gym alongside other students and staff members on April 18, 2012.

Minutes later, Corey was surrounded by the school’s staff in a corner of the gym.  In the video, it appears that he is pushed against the wall and then restrained face-down by four staff members. He was removed from the gym on a stretcher almost 45 minutes later.

Jacob Oresky, the Foster family’s lawyer, said:

“They circled him like thugs or a gang. The staff members at Leake & Watts exercised a lot of force on Corey Foster and they killed him.”

Oresky has also stated that Leake & Watts have yet to issue an apology or acknowledge any fault for Corey’s death.

Oresky wouldn’t state the exact amount that the family is seeking but said “we anticipate this will be a multi-million-dollar lawsuit.”

Oresky then went on to say:

“Schools and educational facilities need to understand that they are trusted with our children and they should exercise the highest possible degree of care in safeguarding their well being. In this case Leake & Watts failed to do so and we don’t want to see any other children at their facility or anywhere else injured or hurt due to carelessness.”

Corey’s autopsy ruled his death an accident. The autopsy report said that he suffered “cardiac arrest during an excited state while being subdued.”

In an email statement to ABC News, Meredith Barber, director of institutional advancement at Leake & Watts, said:

“The consistent findings of extensive third party independent reviews by the police, the District Attorney’s office, the medical examiner and state officials support Leake & Watts’ own internal review, which determined that on the night of April 18th staff followed appropriate therapeutic practices designed to support the young people in our care. Corey Foster’s death was a tragedy.”

Barber then continued saying:

“In regard to the lawsuit, we look forward to addressing its claims in court. Meanwhile, we remain focused on serving children, adults and families with a wide range of needs and look towards doing all that we can in the service of others.”

Sheila Foster has joined forces with parents around the country whose children have been killed or injured as a result of being physically restrained or put into seclusion rooms at school.

Foster said she grieves the loss of her son every day and is determined to help make a difference regarding restraints and seclusions in schools. She said:

“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster but I’m willing to ride it out until I see justice for Corey. I’m not stopping.”

Foster continued by sadly saying:

“I know I won’t feel him hug me anymore, or say, ‘I love you, mommy.’ And this shouldn’t happen anymore to another child, to another family. Someone powerful has to step in and say this isn’t right.”

Here is the video of Sheila Foster’s interview, courtesy of ABC News.

Mom Sues School After Son Dies After Being Forcibly Restrained By School Staff is a post from: The Inquisitr

Los Angeles, CA – Russell Brand is being sued for negligence.

According to Today, the suit was filed by a man who claims that the Get Him to the Greek actor hit him with his car while driving down L.A.’s  Olympic Boulevard. This allegedly happened  back on January 16 of this year.

According to documents obtained by E! News, Victor Sneed states that the 37-year-old comedian drove his car so that it collided with  Sneed. Sneed continued to state that the accident has caused him personal injury and property damage.

According to the suit papers which were filed yesterday, Sneed has suffered loss of wages due to the injuries that he sustained in the alleged incident. In addition to the loss of wages,  he has also incurred hospital and medical expenses as well as legal fees.

Sneed is seeking over $25,000 in compensatory damages from Brand in the recent lawsuit.

Brand’s representative has yet to comment on the situation.

Russell Brand Sued For Allegedly Hitting Man With Car is a post from: The Inquisitr

Michael Jeffries, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. CEO, exacted a dress code for the flight attendant-slash-models that went with him on his Gulfstream jet.

According to NBC News, Jeffries, who turned Abercrombie into a hot teen brand by sexing up the image of the the all-American jock, had 40-plus pages of rules that he expected his flight attendants to follow, according to court documents filed in August in the Eastern District U.S. Court in Philadelphia. The documents were by 55-year-old private jet pilot Michael Stephen Bustin, who filed suit in 2010 saying that he was only fired because of his age.

If the temperature fell below 50 degrees, then a winter coat was required. The collar had to be turned up and the bottom button had to be left unbuttoned. Hats were required to be worn when the temperature dropped below 40 degrees, with the brim folded two inches.

No matter what type of weather, flip-flops were required to be worn while flying and greeting passengers. Also required for male attendants: boxer briefs and Abercrombie cologne “spritzed” over their uniforms.

The court filings detail other specific demands by the CEO including Jeffries’ three dogs had to have specific in-flight seat assignments and requests had to be had to be answered with the phrase, “No problem.”

Before the recession, Abercrombie & Fitch was known for its high numbers, but the popular teen retailer has hit turbulence as competitors such as American Eagle started offering lower prices.

“The second quarter results we are reporting today are disappointing and below our expectations coming into the quarter,” Jeffries told investors on Abercrombie’s third-quarter earnings call in August, when the company reported that same-store sales fell 10 percent year-over-year.

Abercrombie CEO’s Specific Dress Code For Model/Flight Attendants is a post from: The Inquisitr

LOS ANGELES- Britney Spears‘ drug addiction terrified her father because of the way that it caused her life to spiral out of control five years ago.

TODAY reported on how worried her father was during her Spears’ meltdown, as well as her current civil trial involving Spears’ old “manager” Sam Lufti.

“Jamie (Spears) was living in constant fear that he was going to look at the TV one day and see Britney was dead,” said Leon Gladstone, Jamie Spears’ attorney.

Gladstone made these comments during the second day of a civil tril that pitted Spears and her parents against Sam Lufti, who was one of Spears’ closest friends back in 2007 and early 2008. Lufti also claimed to be Spears’ manager at the time.

Lufti, 36,  is suing Spears for a portion of the money that she made during the time that he acted as her live-in “gate keeper”, when he was the one who determined who saw her during her personal and career meltdown.

In addition to suing Spears for a decent amount of money, Lufti is also suing her parents as well. He claims that Jaime punched him in his chest during Spears’ Los Angeles area home back in 2008, and that Lynne libeled him in her book “Through The Storm” that was published later that year.

Spears’ breakdown was a time of trial for her and her family. During this time period, Spears shaved her head, was put on psychiatric holds twice, lost custody of her children, and was put on her father’s conservator-ship, which gave him control of her health and finances.

Lufti is wanting 15% of Spears income over several months during 2007 and 2008, during the time that he said that he was managing her.

Attorney’s say that Spears made about $800,000 to $1 million per month during that time period.

Lufti had worked at a gas station before he “managed” Spears. The only proof that he has that showed that he was her manager, is a mostly blank contract Lufti downloaded off of the internet, and an oral contract with Spears, said Joe Boxer, the attorney who is representing Spears estate.

“Sam Lutfi never conducted himself as if he was Britney’s manager,” Boxer told jurors. “Mr. Lutfi did not earn a dollar for Britney.”

The pop star did not attend court on Friday and is not expected to attend the trial, but her are expected to testify. The trial will continue next week.

Britney Spears’ And Her Parents Sued By Old ‘Manager’ Sam Lufti is a post from: The Inquisitr

On September 12, Apple is expected to release a new iPhone that is compatible with 4G LTE connectivity around the world.

However, according to TechCrunch, competitors such as Samsung and HTC are warning Apple that if they release a new iPhone with LTE connectivity, they will sue Apple for patent infringements and will demand a sales ban in the United States.

Smart phone makers have accumulated 4G LTE connectivity patents over the years in order to be prepared for any patent lawsuit. Apple, on the other hand, is late to the game since they have yet to release a 4G phone. Apple’s competitors are trying to use this fact and take advantage of the situation to prevent Apple from releasing a 4G LTE phone.

Apple has already released the iPad with LTE connectivity back in March. HTC accused Apple of two patent infringements and targeted every Apple LTE device and demanded a sales ban in the United States.

Apple then requested to suppress HTC’s U.S. patents, but Businessweek reported that U.S. International Trade Commission Judge Pender would not proceed with the request without evidence.

HTC acquired those LTE patents in April 2011 before releasing its first LTE phone, the HTC Thunderbolt. Out of the original eight patent infringements, only two are still considered as valid by the International Trade Commission.

Apple is trying as much as possible to avoid going any further in the lawsuit.

Samsung, however, is still continuing its global legal battle against Apple.

“It’s true that Samsung Electronics has decided to take immediate legal action against the Cupertino-based Apple. Countries in Europe and even the United States, Apple’s home-turf, are our primary targets,” said a senior Samsung employee to The Korea Times.

Apple takes the issue with Samsung very seriously , so Apple recently acquired a lot of patents related to LTE. According to the Korea Intellectual Property Office, while it had zero patents last year, it now has 4.9 percent of total LTE patents, compared to 12.7 percent for Samsung.

However, there will more-than-likely be no end to patent-based lawsuites any time soon.

Patent Trouble For The Next iPhone? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Back in 2005, Jason Selch ended a meeting with his bosses at Bank of America by pulling down his pants and mooning them.

Now, any person who has ever been employed could tell you that this would usually result in immediate termination. Mooning your boss is not an acceptable thing to do if you want to keep your job in corporate America.

NBC News reports that Selch had been a Chicago-based employee at Wanger Asset Management for more than ten years when it merged with Columbia Asset Management, a subsidiary of Bank of America, in 2005.

When the merger happened, Wanger employees were not happy with the way the new bosses planned to pay them. Bank of America has had a bad reputation for trying to squeeze the compensation packages of bankers and advisers at firms it acquires.

These compensation changes upset Selch, but what pushed him over the edge was when his friend, Chris O’Dea, was fired because he refused to accept lower compensation. This really ticked Selch off.

Selch burst into a conference room where executives from Columbia were meeting and asked them if he had a non-compete agreement, which in Wall Street is usually a way of threatening to quit and go to work for a competitor.

After the executives told Selch that he did not have a non-compete agreement, Selch mooned them, told one of the New-York based executives to never return to Chicago, then left the meeting.

Suprisingly, Selch was not immediately fired. Instead, his boss issued Selch a formal warning. In fact, the executive fought for Selch to be able to keep his job.

This did not sit right with Columbia CEO Brian Banks. When Banks found out about the incident, he insisted that Selch be fired. Banks found Selch’s behavior to be too “egregious” to allow him to continue on at Columbia.

Being fired meant that Selch lost a multi-million contingent bonus package that would have vested if he stayed on at the company for a few months more. Selch decided to sue the company because firing him after issuing a formal warning was a breach of contract. The warning stated that he could be fired if he misbehaved in the future, but Selch was well-behaved after the initial mooning. Selch also argued that the mooning did not interfere with his official duties, so could not have been fired “for cause.”

Even though Selch felt as though his being fired was unfair, the trial court granted summary judgment to the defendants.

Last Wednesday, a 3-judge appeals panel upheld the trial court, describing the mooning as “insubordinate, disruptive, unruly and  abusive.”

Take this as a lesson to learn from … do not moon your boss and expect to keep your job.

Bank of America Executive Loses Job And Multi-Million Dollar Bonus After Mooning Bosses is a post from: The Inquisitr

The employee’s ‘crime’? According to new legal documents unearthed by TMZ, he refused to sign a waiver after getting injured on the job.

Oscar Alfaro is the man suing Captain Kirk. Alfaro and his wife Delmy filed a lawsuit together in L.A. County Superior court on Wednesday, stating that they worked for Shatner for twenty years. Oscar was a handyman while Delmy worked for the actor as a housekeeper.

When Oscar suffered an injury at the 81-year-old actor’s Studio City home, Shatner asked him to sign a document releasing him from financial responsibility.

Oscar refused, and the actor allegedly responded by harassing both Oscar and Delmy Alfaro.

As a result of Shatner’s supposed harassment, Oscar and his wife say they were both forced to quit their jobs.

In their lawsuit, the Alfaros claim they suffered humiliation, embarrassment, and mental anguish as well as loss of earnings.

William Shatner Sued For Alleged Harassment Of Former Employee is a post from: The Inquisitr

LeAnne Rimes has been a busy little vixen this week. She just recently celebrated her 30th birthday on Tuesday, and, the next day, she promptly checked into rehab for help with “anxiety and stress”. Then, on Thursday, Rimes filed a lawsuit against two women who allegedly “recorded” one of Rimes’ telephone conversations.

According to Today Entertainment, Rimes filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Kimberly and Lexi Smiley for invasion of privacy. Rimes also claims that the two women have been orchestrating a “campaign of harassment”  against her since she began dating her “Good Deeds” star husband, Eddie Cibrian.

According to the complaint filed by Rimes, the two women secretely recorded a private telephone conversation without her knowledge or consent. They then “conspired to spitefully ensure that out of context excepts of that recording would be  disseminated to the public on various websites … in an effort to portray Ms.  Rimes in an egregious false and negative light and cause her emotional  distress.”

The suit states that Rimes has put up with the women’s “campaign of  harassment in the hope they would tire of posting false and defamatory  statements,” but the “outrageous conduct” has only been escalating and Rimes  “can no longer merely hope” the behavior will stop.

A friend of the defendants encouraged Rimes to speak with them in the Spring of 2012 in an attempt to end the negative internet activity towards Rimes. She decided to speak to them but did not know that she was being taped.

The recording was then posted on “hate” blogs Celebitchy.com and CrazyDaysAndNights.com. Rimes states that the posting of the recording has ruined her reputation and personal relationships causing her emotional distress.

LeAnn Rimes Sues Women Over Unconsented Recording is a post from: The Inquisitr

San Francisco police officer Gared Hansen enjoys taking pictures of scantily-clad women dressed as vampires, mermaids, and other mythical creatures. However, the nature of the photos have prompted Hansen’s employers to temporarily suspend him from the police force. According to The Daily Mail, this vampire-friendly cop is taking the case to court.

Hansen claims that, when his passion for unusual photography was revealed to his superiors, they decided he wasn’t setting a good example for the San Francisco Police Force. As a result, the 36-year-old officer is filing a federal civil rights lawsuit which claims that he was wrongfully suspended for what he does during his time away from the force.

According to court documents filed in US District Court in Oakland on August 9, Hansen states he was suspended twice for his love of dark and sexy photography. The first incident took place in 2009, the second in 2010.

Hansen, who has worked for the San Francisco Police Department for seven years, claims that his art isn’t pornographic and shouldn’t reflect negatively on his co-workers or the city.

“I don’t believe that artistic expression brings discredit to anything,” Hansen explained to Slate. “I believe that the work I make is beautiful and interesting and so do my friends and family. It seems like creating art is a benefit to the department.”

Legal experts believe that Hansen’s work, which consists mostly of curvy vampires and sexy sorcerers, isn’t offensive enough to cause a disruption in the workplace.

“The question becomes whether the public employer’s interests in a disruption-free, efficient workplace trump the public employee’s free-speech rights,” legal scholar David Hudson explained. “I don’t see how his photography causes a disruption or even creates a huge morality problem.”

In the meantime, this San Francisco vampire cop is taking some time off from his favorite hobby until the matter is worked out in the courts. For his troubles, Hansen is seeking an unspecified amount from his employers. To see pictures of his work, many of which may not be safe for work, swing by The Daily Mail.

San Francisco Vampire Cop: Policeman Sues For Artistic Freedom is a post from: The Inquisitr

Angry parents have lashed out against the Clovis Unified School District, claiming that the sex education curriculum is spreading lies and misinformation in order to push its “abstinence until marriage” agenda. According to the ACLU of Northern California, the lawsuit states the school system is effectively putting the health of its students at risk by not teaching them the truth about contraception.

Clovis Unified uses a very different textbook for its sex education classes than most school districts. Instead of teaching teenagers about controlling the spread of sexually transmitted diseases through the use of condoms, the book avoids this subject altogether. Instead, educators are telling their students that the only way to avoid STDs is by respecting yourself, hanging out in groups, and, of course, practicing abstinence.

Aubree Smith, a plaintiff in the suit, has a 17-year-old daughter who attends Clovis High School.

“Our kids need complete, accurate information to help them protect themselves against STDs and unintended pregnancy,” she explained. “That’s information they’ll need at whatever point in their life they become sexually active.”

Physician Tonya Chaffee frequently assists teenagers who are in need of sexual health information. She, too, feels that proper education is the key to preventing the spread of diseases.

“We can really save lives with comprehensive sex education,” she said. “The Central Valley has high rates of STDs and unintended pregnancy. Sexual health education in schools is the only way to reach many teens and should be a place where they can get reliable health information.”

Parents whose children are enrolled in the Clovis Unified School District aren’t the only ones upset over the curriculum. The American Academy of Pediatrics California District IX and the Gay-Straight Alliance Network are suing the school system as well. The group will be represented by the American Civil Liberties Union with a little pro bono help from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP.

Sex Education Fail: Parents Sue School District Over Curriculum is a post from: The Inquisitr

Axl Rose, lead singer of the legendary rock band Guns N’ Roses, has experienced a bit of a setback in regards to his lawsuit against the makers of the popular video game Guitar Hero. According to MSN, a judge has thrown out part of the case against the developers, though its believed this dilemma won’t have an effect on other aspects of the lawsuit.

Axl Rose believes that executives at Activision Blizzard used the band’s songs without permission when they released Guitar Hero III back in 2007. To make matters worse, the game also included a likeness of Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, which Rose also claims was used without consent. Unfortunately for Axl, he waited a little too long to file the lawsuit. As such, a Los Angeles judge has dismissed a portion of the suit since it doesn’t fall within the statute of limitations.

However, there’s still hope for the rocker’s lawsuit against the developers. Starpulse reports that a breach of contract lawsuit is still on the table. To settle the dispute between Rose and the makers of Guitar Hero III, Activision Blizzard agreed to make a game based around the music of Guns N’ Roses. Since the bottom has pretty much dropped out on the music game genre, the company never delivered the goods. Naturally, Rose wants compensation.

Of course, everything isn’t just lawsuits and contractual breaches in Axl’s world. Guns N’ Roses, of which Rose is the only remaining original member, will begin its Las Vegas residency this October. The band is scheduled to perform a dozen shows before wrapping things up in November. Tickets, which are priced around $45, go on sale August 17.

Axl Rose’s lawsuit with the makers of Guitar Hero will go to trial next February. As far as that Guns N’ Roses game is concerned, I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Axl Rose Experiences Setback In ‘Guitar Hero’ Lawsuit is a post from: The Inquisitr

DETROIT- A jury has sided with a gay University of Michigan student body president in his lawsuit against a former Michigan assistant attorney general. The U.S. District Court jury decision was to order Andrew Shirvell to pay the young Michigan student, Christopher Armstrong, the lump-sum of $4.5 million dollars.

According to ABCNews.com, the lawsuit was filed due to Andrew Shirvell posting about Armstrong in an anti-gay blog. Michigan alum Shirvell stated in the “Chris Armstrong Watch” blog that Armstrong, who graduated in 2011, was “a radical homosexual activist, racist, elitist and liar.” Shirvell also accused Armstrong of enticing minors with alcohol and recruiting people to become homosexual.

Deborah Gordon, the attorney who is representing Armstrong, says that Shirvell also stated in the blog that Armstrong participated in a number of sordid activities. These activities include engaging in sex acts on a children’s playground, inside a church, and that he hosted orgies.

According to NBCNews.com, Shirvell, who represented himself in the case, said that the jury award was “grossly excessive” for what was “clearly protected speech … and activity.”

“This should have been thrown out,” he said, adding that he plans to appeal. “Juries give short shrift to First Amendment rights.”

Armstrong accused Shirvell of defamation as well as causing emotional distress due to his actions and comments on the blog, facebook posts and during visits to the Ann Arbor campus.

Shirvell said that he saw his blog “as a movement to get” Armstrong to resign, and that he believes that he was acting well within his First Amendment rights. Shirvell tries justifying his actions by saying his statements were either true or protected because of Armstong’s role as a public figure.

Armstrong’s attorney, Deborah Gordon, stated that she would have dropped the charges against Shirvell if he apologized and retracted his previous comments. Shirvell, however, stated that this was disingenious since a multi-million dollar award wasn’t brought up until closing arguments.

Gordon stated that the jury was unable to make Shirvell apologize, so the money was the only answer.

“We needed him to retract the flat-out fabrications he had come up with about Chris,” she said. “Once he refused to take responsibility, we put it in the hands of the jury.”

Armstrong is happy with the ruling and hopes that it will deter future comments of it’s kind.

“I’m just incredibly humbled by what happened today,” Armstrong told The Associated Press. “This is truly a victory — not just for myself, but for a lot of other kids out there.”

Jury Rules For Lawyer to Pay $4.5 Million to Gay University of Michigan Student is a post from: The Inquisitr

In 2008, 15 students at a New Jersey elementary school were forced to eat their lunch off the gym floor as an in-school punishment. Unhappy with how they were treated, seven kids and their parents filed a federal lawsuit against the Camden Board of Education. For the actions of their principal, the school system must now pony up a whopping $500,000 to make things right, according to NBC News.

Alan Schorr, the lawyer representing the kids in the case, said that the punishment was a direct result of tense race relations at the school. The children are Hispanic while their principal is African-American. Schorr claims the children were forced to eat their lunch off the paper liners used to cover lunch trays while their African-American classmates taunted them from nearby tables.

NBC reports that the kids accidentally spilled some water while attempting to place a jug on a cooler. As a result of their actions, administrators at the school found it necessary to discipline the kids by making them eat off the floor in front of their friends.

The board of education, meanwhile, has admitted no guilt in the case, but they did approve the settlement. In regards to how the money will be divided among the kids, the Courier Post Online reports that “the students will split $280,000, which works out to $31,428 each. Their attorney, Alan H. Schorr of Cherry Hill, will get $220,000.”

The teacher who was fired for instructing the kids to tell their parents about the incident has also received a settlement from the board of education. The educator has received $75,000 from the school system for their actions.

The principal who decided to punish the students by forcing them to eat their lunch off a dirty floor has since been transferred. Both the school board and its lawyers declined to comment on the case.

New Jersey Kids Forced To Eat Off Floor Win $500,000 Lawsuit is a post from: The Inquisitr

St. Louis, Missouri – A group of 10 women have banded together to sue their plastic surgeon after discovering their nude before and after plastic surgery photos were published online – labeled with their names. The women claim they signed waivers granting the St. Louis plastic surgeon permission to share their photos with the provision the images would be used anonymously.

Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Michele Koo is not accepting the blame for the use of the nude breast augmentation plastic surgery before and after photo publication. Dr. Koo blames the company which runs her website for allowing patient’s names to be attached to the nude breast photos, according to the Daily Mail.

MedNet Technologies Inc. of Long Island, New York manages Dr. Michele Koo’s website as well as similar sites for more than 2,500 doctors worldwide. The St. Louis plastic surgeon blames the provider for failing to manage her website in a “competent and professional manner,” according to lawsuit court filings. MedNet is claiming legal immunity under the Communications Decency Act. MedNet claims the act protects them as a third party supplier from information which they claim was Dr. Koo’s responsibility to protect.

The group of 10 St. Louis women range in age from 21 to 58. Some of Dr. Michele Koo’s patients accidentally came across the plastic surgery breast implant photos while doing an Internet search for their own names. The women fear the use of identified nude photos could be more widespread. The 10 lawsuits levied against the Kirkwood cosmetic surgeon focuses on complaints of negligence.

Before and after photos of breast enhancement patients were routinely used as a marketing tool for Dr. Koo’s medical clinic. Although the names of the patients do not immediately appear next to the images of their breasts before the augmentation surgery and after, the names are embedded to the photo file database, enabling identification to show up during Internet searches. The 10 St. Louis women suing Dr. Michele Koo for sharing their labeled breast photos online were reportedly quite shocked to see the images pop up while “Googling” their own names for work or identity theft protection purposes online, according to the St. Louis Dispatch.

Group Of Women Sue Plastic Surgeon After Their Nude Before And After Photos Appear Online is a post from: The Inquisitr

Kevin Federline apparently isn’t an ideal tenant. At least, that’s what his former landlord has to say on the subject. According to TMZ, Britney Spears’ former flame is being sued by Joseph Malek, who rented a mansion to Federline back in 2008. Malek told the website that Federline turned the property into one giant ashtray, leaving cigarette butts and broken bottles all over the place. After surveying the mansion and the mess left behind, the landlord discovered his former tenant caused around $110,000 in property damage.

Here’s the kicker: Federline even skipped out on payment. Malek states that the would-be rapper hasn’t paid a dime towards the seven months rent he currently owes. Although the landlord threatened Federline with a lawsuit back in 2009, Malek is now ready and willing to seek help from the courts.

What does Kevin Federline have to say about this nasty situation? He recently told TMZ that he isn’t responsible for the damages to Malek’s mansion. In fact, he blames golf balls from a nearby golf course for the condition of his landlord’s property.

In court documents, Federline officially blames the state of his former home on “normal wear and tear, and other damages were caused by golf balls hitting the property.” Kevin also states that, in 2009, he paid Malek nearly $60,000 in order to take care of his unpaid rent. Additionally, Federline allowed his former landlord to keep the security deposit to cover all of the reported damages to the mansion and its grounds.

For the aggravation associated with this lawsuit, Kevin Federline is looking to recover attorney fees and statutory damages, as wel as twice the amount of the security deposit.

2012 isn’t shaping up to be a good year for Federline. Back in January, Kevin was rushed to a hospital for chest pains during a challenge on Australia’s “Excess Baggage” television program.

Kevin Federline Sued By Former Landlord For Trashing California Mansion is a post from: The Inquisitr

You’re pretty much supposed to respect the last wishes of the deceased, that’s why they’re called “last wishes.” One Queens native, who only wanted to donate his body to science, didn’t live to see his final requests unfortunately shunned. A hospital just wouldn’t take his cadaver because it was “too fat.”

Queens mechanical engineer George Cardel wanted his body donated to science in the unfortunate event of his death. That wish died with him, as the medical school his body was sent to rejected the remains due to Cardel’s girth. Worse still, the hospital neglected to return his body for 13 days. At that point, the 59-year-old man’s remains were so badly decomposed that the family had no choice but to cremate him, reports NY Daily.

“We thought everything was taken care of until 13 days later,” Cardel’s sister, Maryann O’Donnell said. Her husband, Joseph, said that the return of Cardel’s remains shocked the family. “Everybody was trying to get through closure and suddenly George was back,” he said.

Cardel suffered a heart attack Dec. 29, 2011. He weighed 300 pounds when he died. “He was stocky, heavy-set,” says one relative. “I can’t say he was pleasantly plump.”

The family is now suing, seeking up to $2 million for “grave humiliation.” Hospital officials say that they tried to place Cardel’s corpse with the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine at Hofstra University, where it was rejected. Other facilities turned down the remains as well, reports Gothamist.

Former New York City chief medical examiner Michael Baden says he’s not surprised that no one would accept Cardel’s cadaver, explaining, “An obese person would be harder to dissect because of the amount of fat tissue under the skin.”

Hospital Rejects Body Donated To Science, Finds It “Too Fat” is a post from: The Inquisitr

James Holmes is facing murder charges as the suspected movie theater shooter, and his alleged actions have now spawned the first of possibly multiple lawsuits by victims and survivor’s families. Aurora shooting survivor Torrence Brown Jr. has retained an attorney and plans to filed a lawsuit against James Holmes’ doctors, the Century 16 theater and Warner Brothers Studio, according to TMZ.

Theater shooting survivor Torrence Brown Jr.’s attorney Donald Karpel stated during an interview with TMZ his client feels the ball was dropped by multiple entities, leading to one of the largest mass shootings in United States history.

The first target of the pending Colorado shooting lawsuit is the Century 16 movie theater. According to Karpel, Torrence Brown Jr. feels the Aurora movie theater was negligent because the theater did not have an emergency door that was alarmed or guarded. James Holmes allegedly bought a ticket to “Batman Dark Knight Rises” and entered the theater with the rest of the crowd, but then went outside through the emergency exit door to retrieve his guns – then returned inside through the same emergency door and began randomly firing into the crowd.

One of the Brown’s best friends, A.J. Boik was shot in the chest during the theater shooting and later dies from his wounds. Brown did not reportedly suffer any physical wound but maintains he now suffers from “extreme trauma.”

The second groups of defendants in theater shooting survivor Torrence Brown Jr.’s lawsuit are James Holmes doctors. The survivor’s attorney told TMZ “it appears” Holmes was taking “several medications” which were prescribed by “one or more doctors.” Brown maintains James Holmes’ doctors did not “properly monitor” his condition around the time of the shooting.

Torrence Brown Jr. also included Warner Brothers in the planned theater shooting lawsuit. Karpel claims “Dark Kight Rises was particularly violent” and suspected shooter James Holmes allegedly “mimicked some of the action” on the screen.

“Somebody has to be responsible for the rampant violence that is shown today,” Aurora shooting victim Torrence Brown Jr.’s attorney, Donald Karpel, told TMZ during an exclusive interview.

First Aurora Movie Theater Shooting Lawsuit – James Holmes’ Doctors Named As Defendants is a post from: The Inquisitr

“Real Housewives of Orange County” reality show veteran Vicki Gunvalson may have a break from filming the Bravo series, but the drama continues. Gunvalson and her boyfriend Brooks Ayers are fighting back at ABC and demanding an apology for a 20/20 special report which alleged Ayers is a “deadbeat dad,” Radar Online reports. Both Vicki Gunvalson and Brooks Ayers recently appeared on a Bravo “Real Housewives of Orange County Reunion”  (RHOC) segment where the reality show cast shared their feelings and a bit of alleged dirty laundry about one another – Ayers ,45, was a frequent target during the heated cast conversations.

“While we have not filed a lawsuit yet, we have written to ABC demanding a retraction and informed them that the threat of the lawsuit exists and we are currently in discussions with them. The most dangerous aspect was the program accusing him of running out on his child, which is absolutely false,” Brooks Ayers attorney Alexander Rufus-Isaacs stated during a Radar Online interview.

The ABC 20/20 broadcast which aired on June 29 spawned a possible lawsuit against both the network and Ayers’ ex-girlfriend, Nicolette Catanzarite, Radar Online notes. Catanzarite, 41, is the mother of Brooks Ayers’ 3-year-old son. During the broadcast the Indianapolis hair salon owner and model claims Ayers “bailed” on hospital and pediatrician bills. Ayers’ attorney maintains Catanzarite’s claims are a part of an ongoing legal dispute in which Ayers’ claims she refused to allow him to see their son.

Ayers’ is a businessman from Mississippi with three other children from a previous marriage. Rufus-Isaac told Radar Online on behalf of Ayers that Catanzarite visited with both Brooks and Vicki Gunvalson earlier this and denies her claims she does not know how to get in touch with him to coordinate communication or visits with their son. The attorney also noted Brooks Ayers still has the same email address and cell phone number he has used to communicate with the mother of his child in the past.

Real Housewives Of Orange County Star Vicki Gunvalson And Boyfriend Brooks Ayers Threaten ABC Lawsuit is a post from: The Inquisitr

Research in Motion has lost an expensive patent battle against Mformation Technologies. Jurors found that the Canadian cellular manufacturer infringed on remote device management software patent held by the New Jersey based information technologies firm.

The patent judge overseeing the case has ordered RIM to pay $147.2 million however the company will file an appeal to reverse the verdict.

The remote device management software in question is used to power RIM’s BlackBerry Enterprise Server, allowing companies to remotely manage their employees’ Blackberry Devices.

Mformation sued RIM in 2008 after the company claims to have met with RIM and disclosed its technology during the course of licensing negotiations. RIM denies stealing the technology and denies any wrongdoing.

After being found guilty Research In Motion was ordered to pay a royalty of $8 per device sold, with 18.4 million units old the cost to date is $147.2 million. Analysts expect that the costs of the royalty payments to double or even triple over the coming years.

Following the lawsuit Mformation founder Rakesh Kushwaha said in a statement:

“Mformation created the mobile device management category in the late 1990s and was innovating in this area well before most of the market understood the fundamental importance of wireless mobility management. Our patents are a core part of our innovative products, and are fundamental to the methods used for device management in the market today.”

RIM responded to the jury’s verdict by noting that it ”is disappointed by the outcome and is evaluating all legal options. Additionally, the trial judge has yet to decide certain legal issues that might impact the verdict. RIM will await those rulings before deciding whether to pursue an appeal.”

RIM continued:

“RIM has worked hard for many years to independently develop its leading-edge BlackBerry technology and industry-leading intellectual property portfolio, and RIM does not believe that the Mformation patent in question is valid.”

RIM Loses Patent Lawsuit, Ordered To Pay $147.2 Million is a post from: The Inquisitr

Justin Bieber is being sued by a Oregon mother after she took her daughter’s to a Beibs concert that allegedly left her with permanent ear damage.

According to Stacey Wilson Betts she was attending the concert in Portland, Oregon on July 14, 2010 when Bieber climbed into a ”heart-shaped aluminum/steel gondola” which was pulled into the crowd.

As Bieber made his way through the screaming audience he would point his arms in different direction and pre-teen girls would shriek with excitement. As one point Stacey claims that Justin Bieber ”created a wave-like effect of screaming by pointing into various sections of the arena. Then enticed the crowd into a frenzy of screams by continuously waving his arms in a quick and upward motion.”

According to the mother the gondola only made the situation worse because it acted as a ”sound conductor creating a sound blast that permanently damaged both of my ears.”

Stacey Betts claims the incident left her with tinnitus which causes a constant pulsing and whoosing sound that makes it extremely hard to sleep. The mother also claims that she has hearing-related damage.

Betts is suing Justin Bieber, Bieber’s record label, the concert promoter and the arena owner.

In other news, Justin Bieber concerts are really freaking loud just like every other pre-teen girl obsessed singer in the history of the music industry!

They are called ear plugs and they cost a few cents a pair!

Do you think this is another example of a litigious money hungry person going after someone simply because they have cash?

Justin Bieber Sued For $9 Million. Mother Says Fans “Damaged” Her Years is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jay-Z is being sued for plagiarism, with author Patrick White claiming the 42-year-old rapper stole portions of White’s writing and used them in his own memoir, Decoded.

In a case filed on June 13 in Los Angeles, White accused the 42-year-old of plagiarism. The New York Daily News quoted White as claiming in the handwritten lawsuit:

“In 2009, my personal computer was compromised, resulting in my personal work to be used in Jay-Z’s book ‘Decoded’ which was released in 2010. The book contains various expressions/colors/phrases which correlates to my work. After contacting or attempting to contact the co-author, I got no reply.”

According to Allhiphop.com, co-author Dream Hampton and publisher Random House are also included in the lawsuit. White is seeking unspecified damages for copyright infringement and invasion of property.

White’s lawsuit is not the first faced by the musician this year – in March, Jay-Z and Kanye West settled a copyright infringement lawsuit that alleged the men stole a sample of music for their song ‘The Joy.’

Decoded was released by the rapper in November 2010, and is a collection of lyrics and the story behind what they mean. The book attracted significant attention after Jay-Z teamed up with search engine Bing to create a scavenger hunt that “hid” all 305 pages in 200 locations that have been pivotal in his life. The grand prize for the first fan to ‘decode’ the pages online was a lifetime two-person pass to every single Jay-Z show for the rest of their lives.

Jay-Z Sued Over Alleged Memoir Plagiarism is a post from: The Inquisitr

Facebook has agreed to settle a “sponsored stories” lawsuit over its “Like” platform by agreeing to a $10 million one-time payment.

The lawsuit was filed after Facebook began to retransmit users’ activities to their friends’ pages using the “sponsored stories” ad platform. If a user clicked on a “like” button for a brand their likes could appear as a “sponsored story” on their friends’ pages.

Facebook began the sponsored stories service in 2011 and at the time of the first lawsuits the company argued that plaintiffs were not hurt by the practice. Users on the other hand said their personal information was used for commercial purposes without their permission.

Last week court documents pointed to a settlement which was finally confirmed by Facebook attorney Michael Rhodes on Sunday. The settlement will be given to charity after a judge approved the final amount.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh wrote:

“California has long recognized a right to protect one’s name and likeness against appropriation by others for their advantage.”

Facebook may have dodged a bullet in regards to this case, if a class-action lawsuit was allowed to move forward at full speed some analysts believed the lawsuit could have ended up costing the company billions of dollars, especially if one in three American’s became entitled to the money.

The hit to Facebook shouldn’t be understated, Mark Zuckerberg has called “trusted referral” advertising the “Holy Grail” of the advertising relationship while Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has been quoted as saying “Sponsored Story” advertising is two times to three times more effective than traditional advertisements.

Facebook Settles Sponsored Post “Like” Lawsuit For $10 Million is a post from: The Inquisitr

Nadya Suleman, better known to people around the world as Octomom, has been hit with a potential lawsuit after she pulled out of a gig at a local Florida strip club.

Octomom signed a contract to perform at the gentlemen’s club from July 11 to July 14. The infamous mom however had a change of heart when an employee at T’s Lounge in West Palm Beach, Florida went on TV and called her “a little crazy.”

After learning of her cancellation T’s Lounge had their lawyer shoot off a letter to Octomom in which they said her failure to provide the club with a written notice of her cancellation would lead to a lawsuit if she did not perform.

A rep for Nadya Suleman says she will not be intimidated, noting:

“Nadya will not be appearing at this club in July or in the future. Nadya felt defamed and was in fear for her life to step into a club where they have already set a negative tone.”

In the meantime it looks like Octomom may in fact earn money from T’s Lounge, she recently acquired the assistance of an attorney to go after the strip club for defamation.

Octomom is no stranger to the adult business, she recently filmed her first ever adult film and was parlaying that experience into work as a stripper to earn some extra cash.

This is not the first time Nadya Suleman has been deemed “a little crazy” and it probably won’t be the last time.

Octomom Hit With Lawsuit Threat After Pulling Out Of Stripper Gig is a post from: The Inquisitr

A woman from Portland, Oregon has been awarded $900,000 after she was infected with a sexually transmitted disease that her partner kept a secret.

The 49-year-old woman brought a lawsuit against a retired dentist after she contracted genital herpes. According to the woman’s attorney, Randall Vogt, such cases rarely go to a jury trial because they are difficult to prove and typically prove embarrassing for the claimants.

The award issued in this trial is reportedly the largest of its kind in Oregon – a similar case in 1996 ended in a $550,000 settlement.

The victim, who filed the lawsuit under a pseudonym, told the jury that she suffered painful outbreaks and depression following a sexual encounter with the 69-year-old man. The pair had initially met through the dating website eHarmony.

Vogt spoke after the trial on behalf of the woman, telling the Associated Press: “I told the jury he’s dangerous, and I believe he is.”

The retired dentist, who also remained anonymous throughout the lawsuit, has had herpes since 1991. He defended himself by saying he did not know he was contagious. He claimed he was not experiencing an active outbreak at the time the pair had sex, during their fourth date.

Yet the jury’s verdict found that the defendant was negligent in keeping his condition private. Juror Noah Brimhall told The Oregonian newspaper:

“We all felt he should have told her. He had the responsibility to tell her.”

Genital herpes is one of the most widespread STDs in the U.S., and affects roughly 1 of 6 adults in the United States. A lack of visible sores is no guarantee that transmission will not occur.

Portland Disease Date Lawsuit: Woman Awarded $900000 After Contracting STD Man Kept Secret is a post from: The Inquisitr

A Massachusetts man is suing the Yale-New Haven Hospital after he claims that the hospital staff ignored his requests to be treated immediately for an erection that had lasted longer than the suggested amount of time.

Bus driver Daren Scott from Brockton, MA says that while driving a bus route from Boston to New York that he was hit with a inexplicably painful erection. After dropping off all of his passengers, Scott immediately drove to an emergency facility that is associated with Yale-New Haven Hospital. Once he explained his condition to the staff, they simply told him to go wait in the waiting area and that they would be with him shortly. The staff then proceeded to continue to watch a baseball game on television.

The condition that Mr. Scott was suffering from is known as priapism, and according to ABC it is a painful, rare disorder that causes the penis to stay erect for more than four hours at a time, without the cause of psychological or physical stimulation and it is most common in boys ages 5 to 10 and men ages 20 to 50.

Scott claims that after waiting a considerable amount of time in the emergency facility that he was then taken to the actual hospital where he waited another 4 hours to be treated.  Once he was finally seen by a doctor, surgery was performed and he was released. The bus driver claims however that the surgery was unsuccessful and that he was in extreme pain for many months after.

Daren Scott is suing Yale-New Haven hospital for $2 million in damages for their lack of promptness in treating his condition.

Man Sues Hospital For Ignoring His 5 Hour Erection is a post from: The Inquisitr

It looks like CBS’ threat against new ABC reality TV series Glass House was more than just a threat as the network on Thursday filed a lawsuit against ABC for what it calls a blatant rip-off of the Big Brother series.

Last week CBS sent ABC a cease-and-desist letter claiming that the show Glass House is “strikingly similar” to Big Brother since it basically involves a bunch of people living in a house while competing for prizes.

CBS filed the lawsuit in a Los Angeles federal court, in the filing the network’s lawyers write:

“If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then CBS should take pride in ABC’s latest reality television project, ‘Life in a Glass House.’”

The lawsuit then uses words like “carbon copy” and “an obvious attempt … to capitalize on its [Big Brothers] unique success.

CBS says the new show steals its copyright expression and explicit trade secrets.

The lawsuit also claims that ABC hired 19 staffers who at one time worked on Big Brother and that those employees knowingly disclosed trade secrets and other confidential information to ABC.

Stoking the fire further CBS claims a belief that at least one executive on ABC’s new show has been attempting to poach Big Brother employees.

CBS is asking that at least 3 former high level Big Brother  employees pay $500,000 each for violating CBS’ confidentiality clauses.

It is not just ABC employees being sued, CBS is also asking that ABC pay an undisclosed amount of money for the reasons already disclosed.

CBS Sues ABC, Claims ‘Glass House’ Is A ‘Big Brother’ Ripoff is a post from: The Inquisitr

Charlie Sheen threatened to sue a strip club after a room at the venue was named after him.

New York’s nightspot Cheetahs created the Charlie Sheen Room in the the former Two and a Half Men star’s ‘honor.’ Once inside, members could pay $250 to dine in the VIP room and eat sushi off the bodies of scantily clad women, and images of Sheen reportedly covered the walls of the room. A letter from Sheen’s lawyers followed swiftly.

The cease-and-desist letter to Cheetahs claimed the Charlie Sheen Room could well damage his reputation (which is already positively gleaming, don’cha know), leaving the club bemused.

Sam Zherka, president of the parent company that owns Cheetahs, told the New York Post the gesture behind naming the room had been misunderstood by Sheen:

“We figured it would be comical to name a room after him. It was a room where you could dine on sushi served on cellophane on the body of one of our entertainers, not where you do crack. Then we got notification from his lawyer to cease and desist, claiming the usage of his name would be detrimental to his persona. They said they would sue us for millions if we carried on. How could sushi damage Charlie Sheen’s reputation? We thought dedicating a room to dine in his honor would help repair and elevate his image. He should have called us up and thanked us.”

Despite Zherka’s protests, the threats worked: the club has now undertaken a “ritual” removing of the actor’s image. Zherka explained:

“We have now removed his name, he wasn’t doing big business for us anyway. We had a little ritual and threw his image in garbage – a celebration of Charlie Sheen being dumped.”

Charlie’s lawyer Marty Singer has confirmed that the actor had threatened to take action against the club, telling the Post: He said:

“We sent a cease-and-desist letter and they complied. This matter has nothing to do with Sheen’s reputation. You can’t use any celebrity name to promote a business without permission. They had no right to use his name.”

[Via NY Post]

Charlie Sheen Threatened To Sue Strip Club is a post from: The Inquisitr

A California man has taken to the judicial system in attempt to sue BMW North America for causing his 20-month long erection.

According to the papers filed in the lawsuit of Wolf v. BMW, Henry Wolf is claiming that a 4 hour trip on his 1993 BMW motorcycle featuring a “ridge-like” seat gave him “a severe case of priapism” that’s lasted 20 months and counting according to USA Today.

Just in case you are unfamiliar with the term “priapism”, it is defined as a persistent and painful erection.

Included in the lawsuit is the widely used Corbin-Pacific seat company, which you can find being used on many well known motorcycle brands such as Harley-Davidson, Ducati, Kawasaki, Honda, Moto Guzzi, Victory, and Triumph street bikes.

The lawsuit is claiming that Wolf has been experiencing his “discomfort” since that 4 hour ride in September of 2010.

Listed in the lawsuit, the plaintiff is requesting to be compensated for damages from both the seat company and BMW for lost wages, medical expenses, emotional distress and “general damage.”

According to Wolf’s lawyer Vernon Bradley, his client is ”now is unable to engage in sexual activity, which is causing him substantial emotional and mental anguish.”

Most people are aware of the hard to forget ending of most male enhancement commercials insisting to seek your physician for erections lasting more than 4 hours … so what are their recomendations in the event of  it reaching in the area of the 15,000 hours?

What is your opinion of Henry Wolf’s lawsuit against BMW? Do you think the motorcycle and seat companies are responsible for his “discomfort”?

Man Sues BMW For Causing 20-Month Erection is a post from: The Inquisitr

Dean Cochrun, 28, of South Dakota has filed a lawsuit against the hospital where he was born and then circumcised. Dean claims he only recently learned that he had undergone a circumcision which has led him to file his lawsuit.

Dean is asking for $1,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. Dean has also asked that his foreskin be restored “in the hopes I could feel whole again.” Dean does admit that the restoration of his foreskin would likely be nothing more than aesthetic.

Cochrun was forced to file the federal lawsuit on Friday from behind bars where he currently resides after being imprisoned on a kidnapping conviction.

In his argument Dean says that he and his partners would never ”have that sensitivity during sexual intercourse and have a normal sex life.”

In his argument Dean Cochrun says an “unknown doctor” made his mother believe that the procedure was medically necessary when in fact it was “unnecessary, unethical and without medical benefit.”

Recent studies have shown that circumcision is not medically necessary, however proving that a doctor in fact made that claim or that it wasn’t a valid medical belief more than 28 years ago (which in many circles it was) will likely be very hard to prove in a court of law. It wil also be interesting to see how much weight a judge and jury will give to a convicted kidnapper.

Do you think Dean Cochrun is simply trying to earn some cash for prison item spending while locked up behind bars?

Man Sues Hospital For Circumcising Him As A Baby is a post from: The Inquisitr

Keith Olbermann has filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against his former employer Current TV in the amount of $50 million. He has alleged that his ex-bosses at the television network, who fired him on March 30 and replaced him with new programming hosted by former NY Governor Eliot Spitzer, disclosed the amount of his salary which violated his agreement.

Olbermann is also seeking a judge’s ruling that he did not disparage Current TV prior to be fired.

Joel Hyatt, Current co-founder (along with Vice President Al Gore), and network President David Borman were attacked repeatedly throughout the lawsuit as Keith claimed that the two were responsible for the majority of the problems on his show.

A network spokeswoman clearly conveyed the fact that they had no comment regarding Mr. Olbermann’s lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles.

Olbermann, who recently attacked his former employers on the airwaves while a guest on David Letterman’s late-night talk show, claims in the lawsuit he filed a mere two days after appearing on Letterman’s show that:

“Current’s dysfunction permeated all levels of the organization. After being on the air for nearly eight months – long after all ‘growing pains’ should have ceased – Current still couldn’t manage to, literally, keep the lights on.”

His complaints continued throughout the suit as he conveyed an array of technical issues which included equipment which would malfunction and cease to operate when it rained outside, guest calls which were dropped while on air without warning, teleprompters that failed to function properly, and a malfunctioning earpiece. All of which he believes amounts to his being owed by the network a hefty $70+ million.

While Olbermann “deeply regrets his decision to put his trust in Hyatt and Gore,” he also has ownership stake in the network, a network which he claims has lost value from mismanagement.

What do you think about Current TV’s decision to fire Keith Olbermann?

Keith Olbermann Sues Current TV For $50 Million is a post from: The Inquisitr

Facebook has, in response to Yahoo’s lawsuit alleging 10 patent violations, filed lawsuits against Yahoo claiming that the company violated patents which accounted for over $4 billion in revenue for the social network giant last year.

According to the counterclaim Facebook filed in federal district court, Yahoo has allegedly infringed upon patents pertaining to Facebook’s content personalization, image sharing, and display advertising. In response to Facebook’s lawsuit, a representative from Yahoo issued a statement which read:

“We have only just received Facebook’s answer and counterclaims, but on their face we believe they are without merit and nothing more than a cynical attempt to distract from the weakness of its defense.”

The initial lawsuit filed by Yahoo came roughly two months after Scott Thompson joined the ranks of Yahoo as chief executive and right before Facebook intends on going public. Before Google went public, Yahoo executed a similar legal maneuver in which they sued Google over patent infringements.

Lou Kerner, head of investment firm Social Internet Fund, was quoted saying:

“This was the action of a desperate man. Facebook has a significant and valuable patent portfolio. They were very savvy about getting as many patents as they could.”

Ted Ullyot of Facebook’s general counsel released a statement in which he said:

“From the outset, we said we could defend ourselves vigorously against Yahoo’s lawsuit. While we are asserting patents claims of our own, we do so in response to Yahoo’s short-sighted decision to attack one of its partners and prioritize litigation over innovation.”

Of the patents cited in Facebook’s filing, only two of the patents were invented by employees of the social network giant, while the rest were apparently acquired through purchase.

Facebook is demanding that the federal district court rules Yahoo’s patents invalid. Additionally, Facebook demands compensation from Yahoo for damages and legal fees pertaining to the patent lawsuit.

Facebook Lawsuit Accuses Yahoo of Patent Infringement is a post from: The Inquisitr

The founders of the Trinity Broadcasting Network are being sued after allegedly defrauding their not-for-profit network of more than $50 million.

The lawsuit was filed against Paul and Jan Crouch by their granddaughter Brittany Koper.

In the lawsuit Brittany claims that the couple used the network to purchase 13 mansions and luxury jets. In what might be the most troubling finding the couple allegedly purchased a $100,000 mobile home for their dogs to live in.

The lawsuit was filed after the couple fired Brittany and another employee in September, accusing them of stealing from the company. At that time Koper had just begun a three month stint as the groups chief financial director, a position that allowed her to uncover what she says is just one massive case of fraud.

The lawsuit against Brittany was quickly dismissed with no merit and her countersuit was just as quickly filed after she discover the Crouches’ “illegal financial schemes.”

This isn’t the first time the Trinity Broadcast Network has come under fire from outside groups. The church watchdog group Wall Watchers have repeatedly given TBN an “F” rating because the network has zero transparency in the way it operates.

When asked about how funds at TBN are used the head of Wall Watchers says:

“They’re basically taking money from old people and putting it in their pocket and living the high life.”

With tax free money at their disposal it will be interesting to see if the Crouches’ really have defrauded possibly hundreds of thousands of their groups followers.

Do you think if their fraud turns out to be true the Crouches’ should be sentenced to jail and forced to pay back every penny they took from unsuspecting followers of their TV based church?

Televangelists Sued Over $50 Million Fraud Scheme is a post from: The Inquisitr

Texas – Krisiti Roberts, mother of 5 year old Lakay Roberts, is planning on filing a massive lawsuit against her Texas school district.  She is filing the lawsuit is response to her daughter’s special education teacher telling her she could no longer use her walker at school.  Lakay has Cerebral Palsy and requires the walker to move around.

Kristi Roberts, said that she has been arguing about the walker with the school for two years.  She even recorded a conversation between herself and the special education teacher, Gary Lemley, and put it on YouTube.  The tape has since been removed.

Lemley is reportedly heard saying on the audio recording,

“Basically she can’t use the walker because we don’t think it’s safe,”

Lakay Roberts, has been able to use the walker in the school for the last two years.  She recently fell in the parking lot when the equipment collapsed.

Kristi reportedly told Lemley,

“How many kids fall down at recess? Do you make them take their shoes off and buy new ones? No ma’am. They’re not using walkers,”

The school district, New Caney ISD, issued a statement to MyFoxHouston.com that said its main goal is to protect students.  They refused to comment on the specific case due to privacy laws.

The statement said,

“It is important to know that the video and audio recording at issue was not sanctioned or authorized by the District to be released for public dissemination. Furthermore, the District does not agree that the recording at issue here is a complete recounting of the entire underlying confidential discussion and is therefore neither representative nor accurate towards explaining the District’s ongoing efforts to serve its students.”

The recording received a huge outpouring of support before it was removed.  Texas Law states that a child with disabilities has to be accommodated in the best way possible.  Many noted disability advocates are getting involved.

Do you think the school district should let Lakay Roberts use her walker?

Texas Mom Suing School For Telling Her Daughter She Can’t Use A Walker is a post from: The Inquisitr

Path made the news big, and not how they would have liked, when it was found out that they were upload users mobile address books from their smartphones to Path servers without asking permission. While Path worked quickly to rectify the situation, and Apple stepping in to further clarify what Apps could and couldn’t do without a user’s permission it appears that this hasn’t satisfied some people.

Apparently 13 individuals are bringing a class-action lawsuit against 18 of the biggest names in tech over the issue. The names include:

• Path
• Twitter
• Apple
• Facebook
• Beluga
• Yelp
• Burbn
• Instagram
• Foursquare
• Gowalla
• Foodspotting
• Hipster
• LinkedIn
• Rovio
• ZeptoLab
• Chillingo
• Electronic Arts
• Kik Interactive

The claim is that it was discovered in February that these companies were actively accessing a user’s mobile address book and transferring it to company servers.

The reason that this was done claim companies is to be able to provide better friend recommendations but because they weren’t clearly stating exactly what they were doing and asking permission to do so the companies were violating the user’s rights.

“The defendants—several of the world’s largest and most influential technology and social networking companies—have unfortunately made, distributed and sold mobile software applications (“Apps”) that, once installed on a wireless mobile device, surreptitiously harvest, upload and illegally steal the owner’s address book data without the owner’s knowledge or consent,” the plaintiffs say in the filing.

via VentureBeat

The group involved in the lawsuit claim they’ve experienced damages such as loss of privacy, diminution of address book data value, process and battery life while the address books were being transferred as well as out of pocket expenses. They are suing for $12,000 or more from each of the offending companies along with any profits that was made from the use of those address books.

Class-Action Lawsuit Launched Against Path, Apple, Facebook Over Privacy is a post from: The Inquisitr

When Americo Lopes retired from his construction job in November 2009 because he needed foot surgery, his friends at work had little reason to doubt him. However, several months later, Lopes confided in one colleague his real reason for his sudden resignation: he had scooped a lottery jackpot of $38.5 million.

There was one snag: Lopes had bought the ticket as part of a six-man pool at his workplace, and the man he confessed to was in that pool. For years, Lopes and five of his workmates would combine their money, and Lopes would diligently buy the Mega Millions tickets. When their winning numbers came up in late-2009, Lopes told nobody but lottery officials.

On Wednesday, a jury in Union County ordered Mr. Lopes to divide the winnings equally between himself and his five former co-workers. After taxes, the total kept by Lopes was $17,433,966. That translates as $2,905,661 per man.

It seems Lopes would have gotten away with his treacherous act if he had simply kept quiet. Yet his March 2010 confession to one of the group set tongues wagging, and further research unearthed a website with Lopes’s name, revealing he had hit the jackpot. One of the betrayed co-workers, Candido Silva Jr., admitted, “We believed him.”

Lopes himself was clearly aggrieved, telling The Star-Ledger of Newark, “They robbed me.” The 52-year-old Portuguese-American stated repeatedly during the trial that he had bought the winning ticket on his own, separate from any tickets he had purchased for the group. He insisted that he often bought tickets for himself when he went to buy the pool’s ticket.

Jose Sousa, 46, another man of the group Lopes is said to have cheated, remarked, “We trusted him. He cheated us.” He said the the jury’s decision “proved that we’re not lying. This is the most important thing.”

61-year-old Candido Silva Sr. cried on the witness stand, while his son, Mr. Silva Jr., said the verdict was what the group had expected. While he and his co-workers enjoyed a celebratory meal, he told press, “If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to worry about.”

The five men said they had considered Lopes a close friend for years. I’m guessing they no longer feel quite as chummy.

Americo Lopes, Lottery Winner, Must Share $38.5m Jackpot With Co-Workers is a post from: The Inquisitr

Watching Let’s Make A Deal on CBS can literally cause you pain at least that’s the claim of a 75-year-0ld woman who was injured during an L.A. taping of the show because of faulty seating hardware.

The show participant, Mary Hutchinson,  filed her lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court and in her filing she claims that while walking through the studio towards her seat in 2010 she placed her hand on a seat for support at which time the was which was NOT bolted to the ground gave way.

Hutchinson tumbled to the ground and injured herself which led to a painful outcome for her neck and back although she didn’t suffer any broken bones.

In the lawsuit Hutchinson asks for $25,000 in damages and claims that CBS and Let’s Make A Deal producers created an unsafe and dangerous environment for guests.

In the meantime specifics regarding the case are still unclear. I’ve personally watched the show several times and looking at the studio audience I would assume that any observant person could realize that the chairs were not meant to be used as a handrail safety system.

In the meantime Hutchinson has proven at least one truth anyone who has seen the show can attest to, it’s painful to watch.

Proof: ‘Let’s Make A Deal’ Is Painful To Watch is a post from: The Inquisitr

Former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield was freed from a North Carolina jail on Thursday after he posted bail. Mayfield has been accused of stealing various pieces of property from Red Bull Racing and various other businesses.

Mayfield surrendered himself to a Caldwell County magistrate on Thursday and was released on a $100,000 unsecured bond.

According to Fox Sports:

“Indictments by a grand jury released last month charged Mayfield with three counts of possessing property stolen from businesses, and a fourth charge of obtaining property by false pretense. He has called the latest charges ”baseless.””

This isn’t the first run-in with the law Mayfield has had, in November 2011 police raided the former NASCAR drivers Catawba home and found 1.5 grams of methamphetamine.

Mayfield hasn’t raced in NASCAR since failing a random drug test in 2009 at Richmond International Raceway.

Last month Mayfield returned to court on his own terms to ask that the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond listen to his lawsuit seeking reinstatement as a NASCAR driver.

Do you think Jeremy Mayfield deserves to be reinstated after one failed drug test or has the rest of his actions outside of the sport given NASCAR officials reason to leave him in the dust so to speak?

Former NASCAR Racer Jeremy Mayfield Free On Bond is a post from: The Inquisitr